Library Stuff » Overduehttp://www.librarystuff.net
The library weblog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional developmentThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:14:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Library’s book detective has a 30-year-old mysteryhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2014/05/04/librarys-book-detective-has-a-30-year-old-mystery/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/05/04/librarys-book-detective-has-a-30-year-old-mystery/#commentsSun, 04 May 2014 17:11:53 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=15036“After 30 years at Waterloo Public Library, Deb Reinhart is so good at bounty hunting books that purloined or misplaced tomes find her on their own. “We kid her she’s our Mr. Bookman,” said colleague Sandi Hall, referring to a Seinfeld episode about a crusty library cop on the trail of Jerry’s overdue book from 1971.”She’s our book detective.” (via durhamregion.com)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/05/04/librarys-book-detective-has-a-30-year-old-mystery/feed/0Book thieves stole 70,144 books from the Brooklyn Public Library in 2012http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/book-thieves-stole-70144-books-from-the-brooklyn-public-library-in-2012/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/book-thieves-stole-70144-books-from-the-brooklyn-public-library-in-2012/#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 13:43:15 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=14613“Book thieves checked out but never returned 70,144 books from Brooklyn Public Library’s 60 cash-strapped branches in 2012, records show. GED prep guides, nursing and other professional exam cliff notes were high on the list of frequently filched books — but so too were graphic novels, library officials said. “Those are always going missing,” a librarian at the Brooklyn Heights branch told the Daily News Thursday.” (via NY Daily News)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/book-thieves-stole-70144-books-from-the-brooklyn-public-library-in-2012/feed/0Judge: Bloomfield library violated records lawhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/judge-bloomfield-library-violated-records-law/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/judge-bloomfield-library-violated-records-law/#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 13:24:33 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=14609“The Bloomfield Public Library violated New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act when it failed to produce documents pertaining to overdue materials, Superior Court Judge Edith K. Payne ruled on Jan. 13. In July 2013, Bloomfield Life requested documents specifically regarding the library board’s 11 trustees at the time. They included Board President Sharon McIver, Jeremiah Larkin Jr., Louis Acocella, Mary Todaro, Susan Carter, Kathleen Hughes, Rosemary Vetrano, Patricia Pelikan, Raymond McCarthy, Ted Ehrenburg and Nicholas Dotoli. Pelikan, McCarthy and Dotoli are no longer on the board.” (via NorthJersey.com)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2014/01/31/judge-bloomfield-library-violated-records-law/feed/0UNRETURNED LIBRARY BOOKS CAN MEAN JAIL TIMEhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/12/29/unreturned-library-books-can-mean-jail-time/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/12/29/unreturned-library-books-can-mean-jail-time/#commentsSun, 29 Dec 2013 15:11:21 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=14376“Call it throwing the book at the bookworms. A Texas man who was arrested for failing to return an overdue library book ignited an online flurry of snarky comments and headlines about the Lone Star State extending its tough-on-crime bravado to books. But such cases aren’t unheard of, and many communities faced with shrinking budgets and rising costs have ordinances calling for fines or even arrest warrants when library property isn’t returned.” (via The Associated Press)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/12/29/unreturned-library-books-can-mean-jail-time/feed/0Jailed for overdue library books? Not in Grand Rapids anymorehttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/20/jailed-for-overdue-library-books-not-in-grand-rapids-anymore/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/20/jailed-for-overdue-library-books-not-in-grand-rapids-anymore/#commentsTue, 20 Aug 2013 13:43:07 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=13445“An ordinance that provided for a penalty of up to 30 days in jail for failing to return a library book is being expunged from the city code. Grand Rapids City Commission is in the process of repealing part of a “disorderly conduct” ordinance that spells out the following punishments for “any person who detains or fails to return” books or other library items: a fine of $10 to $50 or imprisonment for 7 to 30 days, or both.” (via MLive.com)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/20/jailed-for-overdue-library-books-not-in-grand-rapids-anymore/feed/0Lost library book found in Japan, returned to Sacramentohttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/16/lost-library-book-found-in-japan-returned-to-sacramento/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/16/lost-library-book-found-in-japan-returned-to-sacramento/#commentsFri, 16 Aug 2013 13:42:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/16/lost-library-book-found-in-japan-returned-to-sacramento/http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/16/lost-library-book-found-in-japan-returned-to-sacramento/feed/0Lost library book returns after 10,000 mile trip to Australiahttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/12/lost-library-book-returns-after-10000-mile-trip-to-australia/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/12/lost-library-book-returns-after-10000-mile-trip-to-australia/#commentsMon, 12 Aug 2013 12:48:26 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=13395“A copy of the Rough Guide to Sicily was taken out from Oystermouth library in January and was found abandoned in a hotel room on the Italian island. The woman from Melbourne who found it later posted it back to Wales when she was back in Australia. The note she sent with the returned book said: “One of your naughty borrowers left this book behind.” (via BBC)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/08/12/lost-library-book-returns-after-10000-mile-trip-to-australia/feed/0Library book returned 41 years overduehttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/07/19/library-book-returned-41-years-overdue/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/07/19/library-book-returned-41-years-overdue/#commentsFri, 19 Jul 2013 12:03:56 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=13326“A library book 41 years overdue is finally returned to the Champaign County Library. The library received $299.30 in cash and a handwritten note that read: “To Champaign County Library: Sorry I’ve kept this book so long, but I’m a really slow reader! I’ve enclosed my fine of $299.30 (41 years, 2 cents a day). Once again, my apologies.” (via WDTN)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/07/19/library-book-returned-41-years-overdue/feed/0For Young Readers, a Chance to Work Off Library Debthttp://www.librarystuff.net/2013/03/28/for-young-readers-a-chance-to-work-off-library-debt/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/03/28/for-young-readers-a-chance-to-work-off-library-debt/#commentsThu, 28 Mar 2013 19:21:13 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=12971“Mark is just one of many young scofflaws who are taking advantage of a program by the Queens Borough Public Library intended to help younger library users eliminate their overdue fines. While the penalties for failing to return an item on time for library users younger than 21 might not seem high – 10 cents per day for a book, $1 per day for a CD or DVD – they can add up and be onerous for children from families of limited means. And once library users have accumulated a total of $15 in fines, their borrowing privileges can be suspended.” (via NYTimes.com)
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2013/03/28/for-young-readers-a-chance-to-work-off-library-debt/feed/0Student blocked from homecoming over library bookhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/student-blocked-from-homecoming-over-library-book/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/student-blocked-from-homecoming-over-library-book/#commentsWed, 17 Oct 2012 15:23:06 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=12358“Punished for reading? A Cypress Lake High School freshman was blocked from going to homecoming because of an overdue library book.

“This is my dress I got for homecoming,” said Dominique Stearns, showing off her gold and white dress. She says she went to at least 10 stores and spent hours shopping with her mom trying to find the perfect dress.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/10/17/student-blocked-from-homecoming-over-library-book/feed/0Amnesty bringing in fine haul for libraryhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2012/08/22/amnesty-bringing-in-fine-haul-for-library/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/08/22/amnesty-bringing-in-fine-haul-for-library/#commentsWed, 22 Aug 2012 13:06:19 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=12095“On March 15, 1975, a man owed a book to Chicago Public Library.Tuesday, more than 37 years later, he ventured into the Oriole Park Library and returned it.For three weeks, all fines for overdue books are being forgiven under the citys first complete library amnesty in 27 years. The program started Monday.Jessica Bertola, head library clerk at Oriole Park, said the man told her he had been cleaning his Naperville home and found the book, “Fluidic Systems Design Guide.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/08/22/amnesty-bringing-in-fine-haul-for-library/feed/0Are you a library scofflaw?http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/07/05/are-you-a-library-scofflaw/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/07/05/are-you-a-library-scofflaw/#commentsThu, 05 Jul 2012 12:17:47 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=11884“Your library card status may soon follow you like your credit history. Washington and Dakota county libraries are pursuing a $47,000 federal grant to try out a library card verification system that would tell them instantly if someone from the neighboring county is a good bet as a book borrower People increasingly use libraries where they work or visit, not just where they live, and a computer link between library patron accounts would stop people from ducking fines for overdue materials at their home libraries and skipping to another county to get books.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/07/05/are-you-a-library-scofflaw/feed/1Throwing the Book at Overdue Book Offenderhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/28/throwing-the-book-at-overdue-book-offender/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/28/throwing-the-book-at-overdue-book-offender/#commentsThu, 28 Jun 2012 18:19:06 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=11856“Lori Teel said she can’t remember checking out a “Twilight” book and movie from the Portales Public Library, but she’s not likely to forget her overnight stay in jail for failing to return them. Teel was arrested and handcuffed at her Portales home in front of her five small children earlier this month because of $35.98 worth of library materials allegedly taken out and not returned, according to a tort claim notice sent to the Portales city clerk on Monday. The overdue library fine led to a summons for Teel to appear in Portales Municipal Court, according to the claim. A municipal court judge issued warrants for Teel’s arrest last year after she failed to appear in court, but the summons and warrants were mailed to an address at which Teel hadn’t lived since childhood, and she never received any notices, she and her attorney say.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/28/throwing-the-book-at-overdue-book-offender/feed/0NY library worker sentenced for stolen book fineshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/20/ny-library-worker-sentenced-for-stolen-book-fines/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/20/ny-library-worker-sentenced-for-stolen-book-fines/#commentsThu, 21 Jun 2012 02:16:10 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=11813“A New York library worker who admitted stealing more than $160,000 in overdue book fines and other revenue has been sentenced to six months in jail. The Westchester district attorney’s office says Yonkers resident Margo Reed will have to pay back the full amount and spend 4 1/2 years on probation.

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/06/20/ny-library-worker-sentenced-for-stolen-book-fines/feed/0Some Greater Boston libraries are dropping fines for overdue materialshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2012/03/25/some-greater-boston-libraries-are-dropping-fines-for-overdue-materials/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/03/25/some-greater-boston-libraries-are-dropping-fines-for-overdue-materials/#commentsSun, 25 Mar 2012 14:15:51 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=11433The Boston Globe – “On a Saturday morning at the Gleason Public Library in Carlisle last month, Jason Walsh deposited a tall stack of materials on the returns desk and automatically reached for his wallet. It was the end of school vacation, and he was sure that at least a few of the books, CDs, and DVDs his three young daughters had consumed over the past week had accrued some fines. But the librarian waved him off, explaining that Gleason had stopped charging for overdue materials five months ago. Like many library patrons, Walsh was surprised. Aren’t overdue fines as integral to the fabric of the public library system as, say, Dewey decimal numbers or signs asking for quiet?”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2012/03/25/some-greater-boston-libraries-are-dropping-fines-for-overdue-materials/feed/0Bookworm Scofflaws Get a Breakhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/23/bookworm-scofflaws-get-a-break/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/23/bookworm-scofflaws-get-a-break/#commentsFri, 23 Sep 2011 16:14:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/23/bookworm-scofflaws-get-a-break/WSJ – “Somewhere—maybe forgotten under a sofa cushion, or jammed at the bottom of a long-abandoned backpack—is a copy of “Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z,” borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library system on Feb. 28, 2001. It’s time to bring it back. Under a new amnesty program launched Thursday, the city’s three library systems will forgive all penalties on overdue books and other materials checked out by children under age 18. And that includes “Eating the Alphabet,” the Brooklyn system’s longest-lost item checked out by a young patron.
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/23/bookworm-scofflaws-get-a-break/feed/0CARLSBAD: Cache of stolen library books found, woman arrestedhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/08/carlsbad-cache-of-stolen-library-books-found-woman-arrested/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/08/carlsbad-cache-of-stolen-library-books-found-woman-arrested/#commentsThu, 08 Sep 2011 20:36:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/08/carlsbad-cache-of-stolen-library-books-found-woman-arrested/North County Times – “Police recovered thousands of stolen library books and DVDs and arrested the 44-year-old woman who had them at her home, Carlsbad police said Wednesday. Maria Nater of Vista was booked into Vista jail Tuesday night on suspicion of receiving stolen property, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department records.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/09/08/carlsbad-cache-of-stolen-library-books-found-woman-arrested/feed/0About 325,000 Items Missing from Houston Librarieshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2011/08/23/about-325000-items-missing-from-houston-libraries/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/08/23/about-325000-items-missing-from-houston-libraries/#commentsTue, 23 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/08/23/about-325000-items-missing-from-houston-libraries/AP – “One look at the Houston Public Library’s delinquency records is enough to both buoy and sink the hearts of book-lovers: Borrowers seem to like the printed word so much that they’ve failed to return 243,102 books since 1999. In all, 119,558 library patrons have taken 325,000 items from the system since 1999, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of the delinquency database.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/08/23/about-325000-items-missing-from-houston-libraries/feed/0200-year-old library book returned to Camdenhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2011/05/13/200-year-old-library-book-returned-to-camden/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/05/13/200-year-old-library-book-returned-to-camden/#commentsFri, 13 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/05/13/200-year-old-library-book-returned-to-camden/Bangor News – “The worn leather book might be riddled with tiny wormholes and have pages that are yellowed by time.

But two centuries after being part of Camden’s very first lending library, Oliver Goldsmith’s 1790 “History of England, Vol. 1,” has come home at last to the delight of astonished local librarians.

A man from Thousand Oaks, Calif., hand-delivered the book in mid-April to the Edward J. Walsh History Center at the Camden Public Library, along with two other antique volumes with strong ties to the area.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/05/13/200-year-old-library-book-returned-to-camden/feed/0Vt. woman facing charges for overdue library itemshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2011/01/24/vt-woman-facing-charges-for-overdue-library-items/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/01/24/vt-woman-facing-charges-for-overdue-library-items/#commentsMon, 24 Jan 2011 18:02:00 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/01/24/vt-woman-facing-charges-for-overdue-library-items/AP – “A Vermont woman is facing charges that she failed to return hundreds of dollars’ worth of books and videos from the library. State Police say the 35-year-old woman from Concord has been cited on a charge of theft of rented property.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2011/01/24/vt-woman-facing-charges-for-overdue-library-items/feed/1Calif library book returned – 74 years overduehttp://www.librarystuff.net/2010/12/09/calif-library-book-returned-74-years-overdue/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/12/09/calif-library-book-returned-74-years-overdue/#commentsThu, 09 Dec 2010 15:15:03 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=10279Sacramento Bee– “A Sacramento woman is proving that it’s never too late to make things right. Ninety-five-year-old Hazel Severson says a friend found a book that her late husband had borrowed from an Amador County library in 1936 while sorting through things for a garage sale.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/12/09/calif-library-book-returned-74-years-overdue/feed/0Decades after deadline, relative of books borrower ready to turn it back in to Lancaster libraryhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2010/11/26/decades-after-deadline-relative-of-books-borrower-ready-to-turn-it-back-in-to-lancaster-library/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/11/26/decades-after-deadline-relative-of-books-borrower-ready-to-turn-it-back-in-to-lancaster-library/#commentsFri, 26 Nov 2010 13:37:36 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=10247Dallas Morning News – “The book has been a part of the old mans family longer than he has – since 1937, when his mother or dad checked it out from the Lancaster public library and never took it back.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/11/26/decades-after-deadline-relative-of-books-borrower-ready-to-turn-it-back-in-to-lancaster-library/feed/0Cops: Ex-Randolph, NJ, man failed to return $2,500 in books, DVDs to libraryhttp://www.librarystuff.net/2010/09/14/cops-ex-randolph-nj-man-failed-to-return-2500-in-books-dvds-to-library/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/09/14/cops-ex-randolph-nj-man-failed-to-return-2500-in-books-dvds-to-library/#commentsWed, 15 Sep 2010 01:09:56 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/09/14/cops-ex-randolph-nj-man-failed-to-return-2500-in-books-dvds-to-library/Daily Record – “An arrest warrant has been issued for a man now believed to be living in his native Taiwan for failing to return or pay for $2,499 worth of DVDs, videocassettes and music books he borrowed in 2008 from the Randolph Township Public Library. Five weeks ago, Randolph Patrolman Daniel Novoa spoke to the library director, who reported that Hsian Kao signed out DVDs, VHS cassettes and musical instruction books on April 29, May 3, and May 12, 2008. The $2,499 value of the books does not include late fees.”
]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2010/09/14/cops-ex-randolph-nj-man-failed-to-return-2500-in-books-dvds-to-library/feed/1New and Creative Leniency for Overdue Library Bookshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2009/12/29/new-and-creative-leniency-for-overdue-library-books/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2009/12/29/new-and-creative-leniency-for-overdue-library-books/#commentsWed, 30 Dec 2009 02:03:41 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=8851NYT – “Since the beginning of the economic downturn, librarians across the country have speculated that fines for overdue items are keeping people from using the library — particularly large families whose children take out (and forget to return) many books at a time. Some libraries learned that the fines, which are often as low as 25 cents an item per day, quickly multiplied for many people and were becoming an added hardship.”

]]>http://www.librarystuff.net/2009/12/29/new-and-creative-leniency-for-overdue-library-books/feed/1Libraries on the book case for overdue fineshttp://www.librarystuff.net/2009/12/26/libraries-on-the-book-case-for-overdue-fines/
http://www.librarystuff.net/2009/12/26/libraries-on-the-book-case-for-overdue-fines/#commentsSat, 26 Dec 2009 15:16:57 +0000http://www.librarystuff.net/?p=8839Boston Herald – “The value of the materials is fairly high. We need to replace them,” said Martha Holden, director of the Peabody Institute Library, which has sent the law after a trio of overdue culprits. The Peabody library filed criminal complaints against 19-year-old Alyssa Toste and 23-year-old Jeramie Crane on Dec. 15. Despite repeated notices, both Toste and Crane failed to return more than $500 worth of overdue books, DVDs, music CDs, books on tape and other items, Holden said.”
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